PARAÑAQUE CITY — Eight young Masbateños amassed top prizes during the Binhi ng Pag-asa Program (BPP) National Summit and Yearend Assessment on December 5-7, 2023 at Paranaque City.

Joyce Atacador of Palanas, Masbate got the First Prize in the BPP Agri Tagisan Knowledge Quiz Bee.

Rey Sipalay of Cawayan, Mary Joy Betsaida of Balud, and Mary Ann Gribialde of Mandaon placed Second, Third, and Fourth in the neck-to-neck quiz competition.

Meanwhile, in the BPP Project Proposal Making Contest, the municipalities of Palanas and Aroroy placed second and third as Christina Thalia Tobi and Mao Japhet Sampaga valiantly proposed their Low Carb Fish Ball Yaki and El Oro Smoky projects.

Earning special prizes, Mobo’s Nephtalie Aban and Milagros’ Ronel Labastida also nobly defended their original concepts titled BSF, My BFF: A Black Soldier Fly Farming and Milagros Fytotofyto (Plant to Plant).

With the theme, “YouthPACE: Producing Agripreneurs and Catalysts Towards Excellence,” the 2023 National Summit points to Jose Rizal’s adage that “The youth is the hope of our future” as the young leaders bring home their seeds of new-found skills.

Congratulations to all the winners! Excellent work, Masbate youths!

A collaborative project with the Office of Senator Grace Poe, the Binhi ng Pag-asa Program gears up the young people to become competent agripreneurs by undergoing trainings on leadership and agriprenuership. BPP also provides post-training agricultural starter kits. It has been extending support to hundreds of youth in the Bicol Region since 2021.